Team X
Team X is a street hockey team based in the upper reign of Canada. They are members of the SHL and the Original Four as one of the first four teams in the league where they played a short, 20 game season. They are known for their hard ethic and for the Great Dispersal, where four teams came out of four former players of the Team itself. Andy Martin, Oliver Marton, Oakley Marrow, and David Fijin split from them to make the Astral Aeroes, Ultimate Royals, Orange Orators, and the Black Blades. Team X has won the SHL Cup a record four times in 12 seasons (ten 70-game seasons), in the years of 2004-2005, 2006-2007, 2009-2010, and 2014-2015, and until the 2016-2017 Season, have never lost earlier than the second round of the playoffs. They, and the Branton Nickels, remain the only team since the SHL's formation to have never missed the playoffs. In addition, they are the only team that has never failed to win the SHL Cup the same season as winning the Kingship Trophy. The team itself and it's players have set multiple records and achievements within the league itself, and because of their prowess and skill, Team X is regarded as the greatest of the SHL's teams. They have the most retired numbers of any team in the league, and they are known for their widely-respected coaching and development system which has, according to several players such as Frazer Acterpoff and Clint Barrie, become better players. However, they are known for their "surprising" undrafted players such as Volker Janns, Kris Capelli, and Michael Torio who have become known to be at a "superstar" level, and because of this, CEO Nolan Gattsburg has had to create a rule to disallow large amounts of undrafted players to keep the game at what he calls "a fairer level". History '2009-2010 Season' The 2009-2010 Season was regarded as one of the league's most interesting seasons, adding the first four expansion teams, the Crozac Cardinals, Ashtown Horsemen, Brown Buccaneers, and the White Warlocks. For Team X, it would unfold to become the greatest season they ever had, and as described by SHL analysts and CEO Nolan Gattsburg; "the most dominant team you will ever experience". Lance Timothy, GM of Team X, managed to sign Mike Bardo, known as one of the league's greatest ever playmakers from the Astral Aeroes in exchange for Sam Quaid, Cal Rest, and the draft picks from the next two seasons for him. Though initially hesistant, Dirk Sutton agreed to the deal. It was regarded as one of the "greatest trades" in history, considering Mike's impressive 104-point season the year prior and with Quaid and Rest having 35 and 61 point seasons respectively. In addition, Lance signed rookie Mark Salter to fill in the defensive void, who was drafted by Team X in 2009. Team X went off to a blazing-hot start, winning their first 16 games and scoring an average of 6 goals a game at the time. In their first twenty games they went 18-2-0, losing to the Ultimate Royals 3-2 and to the Koren Killers 2-1. After the midway mark, they had 32 wins and 3 losses, the most of any team before the half. In addition, they had already scored 270 goals, and have only allowed 52 goals from their opponents. At the time, Nick Phillips had 40 goals and 78 points, and was projected to hit 70 goals and 140 points by the end of the year. Team X was known to be so dominant, that if they lost, analysts called it "breaking the wall" or "befalling a titan". They would later go on to go 28-7 in the second half of the series, losing to the Orange Orators 4-2 and 3-2 respectively; they were the only team to beat Team X twice that season. In their final game where they were 59-10-0, Team X won 7-0 against the Black Blades; Nick Phillips scored a hat trick and an assist to become the first player (and so far the only) one to score 80+ goals in a season (81) and recorded 150 points. Team X had seven players with 100+ points that season; Nick Phillips, Chad Mackenzie, Brenden Donaghy, Mike Bardo, Ted Greene, Raul Kozac, and Evgeni Nopitov, and Buck Kampra had a 1.06 GAA with 16 shutouts and 40-5-0 record. At the end of the season, they had 553 goals and allowed 114, with a +339 differential. They were one of the two teams (the other being the Benton Bruisers) to have a completely healthy team all season. Because of their dominance, some players, such as Markus Pavlet stated "You weren't going to win. Hell, they were up 6-0 at the end of the 1st, and we have five shots. FIVE shots on net. We're not going to win this the way we play" and because of this, some players reportedly quit the games, leaving because of a lack of effort. Rick Dowan, who was with the Orange Orators at the time, has said "There were games they had like 50, 60, I think there was a 70-shot game, and if you could win against that, you had to pat yourself on the back. I've beaten them twice, but lost to them once 9-2 with 54 shots on net. They're not gonna be easy." During the playoffs of the season, Ted Greene, after Game 1 against the Astral Aeroes, a 5-0 victory, was part of a car accident that ended up with him becoming a paraplegic. Because of these events, Team X's morale ultimately suffered, and despite them winning the next three against the Aeroes, they only scored seven goals and their shots on net per game was reckoned as nearly halved. Nick Phillips said "It was like we had an irreplacable piece. Ted was watching us, but he wasn't playing with us." Because of the events, some fans and rioters proclaimed the Aeroes "set up" the accident. GM Lance Timothy bolted at the accusations, saying "That's extremely classless to say some dumb like that. You call yourselves fans? The Aeroes and X are both respectable teams, and I can assure you that they are in no way responsible for such an unfortunate act." After the fourth game ended, the Aeroes held a moment of silence, unknown to Team X in their own dome to honour his skills as a player and the tragedy he had suffered. Team X later played the Black Blades and Team Daiku beating them both in a six-game series. Their offense struggled but was slightly better, due to hearing of Ted making a full recovery but being unable to cheer them on. Wyatt Drannan later was injured due to a tough hit from Mark Moroes, and Mark Salter missed the series due to a deflected puck off a skate that hit his head from Mark Nilsson. Team X later went on to play the Orange Orators and stated they weren't feeling good about the finals. However, Team X managed to win the first three games of the series and held Orange to a 3-0 deficit. They won 4-2, 3-0, and 2-1, another display of their weakened offense. On Game 4, which is known as "The Game", Nick Phillips stated to everyone in the locker room that today was the day they'll lift it for Ted. To their surprise, Ted Greene was at the game, and no one other than Lance Timothy and Jean Theirron in the organization knew, and he said he wanted it to be a surprise. They stormed out of the room and saw Ted, stating, as quoted by Rick Dowan, they were "reinvigorated". Nick Phillips ushered a praise which is now said by fans; "THIS IS FOR TED!", and went on to win Game 4 by a result of 7-0. When the cup was handed over, Nick Phillips broke tradition of the captain hoisting it first and handed it to Ted Greene who was in a wheelchair at their end of the arena, and told him to hoist it first, which Ted did. Oakley Marrow called it "the classiest thing I've ever seen", and Rick Dowan described the game as "You don't want them to win because you have a series to win and a cup to defend, but at the same time you didn't want them to lose knowing what and who they had lost." In the annual photo of the cup winners, Ted sat in the middle hoisting the cup above his head, and to this day remains the only photograph where someone other than the captain holds it in the middle. '2013-2014 Season' Team X had a lesser season, finishing with a 37-27-6 record, and finishing tenth overall in the league. Chad Mackenzie led the team in points, finishing with eleven points in his last six games to take the lead and finish fifth overall in the league's roster. Making the playoffs, Team X faced the Green Hornets, defeating them in a 4-1 decision. Next, they versed the Scarlet Saviors, defeating them 4-0, with the final game of the series going to triple overtime, before Robert Thorman scored a shorthanded goal. In the third round, they played the Black Blades, and during the series they lost Gustav Magerkoff and Brenden Donaghy to injuries. Black defeated them 4-2 in the series and advanced to the SHL Cup final where they lost in seven games. Despite Team X's loss, many of the analysts predicted that if they versed the Red Nukes or the Astral Aeroes in round three, Team X would have gone to the SHL Cup final, since they held 3-0-1 and 4-0-0 records against them that year specifically, and 2-2-0 against the Blades. '2014-2015 Season' Team X started their season by acquiring possible candidates from the lower leagues, and signing Igius Gonzalez from Team Daiku in exchange for Anton Carlyle and a 2nd round pick. Team X had an initally strong season, which then evolved. Team X set a record for the franchise and for the league, recording 20 straight wins. This streak ended against the Red Nukes in Game 21, where they lost 3-2 on the road. Buck Kampra and Michael Torio both recorded back to back shutouts, making Team X unable to be scored on for four games, and 265:32 minutes exactly. Their "unscoreable streak" ended against the Benton Bruisers who scored the first goal in the second period of Game 5. However, Team X went on to win the game 4-2. This season became a new source of rivalry as well for the team, as the Airdrie High Angels were on a hot streak as well for their first 20 games, collecting a 11-7-2 record in twenty games. Several players and fans of the team boasted that they would be "X's new rivals", which would attract the attention of the Ultimate Royals, who as seen by the league, are their true rivals. Team X's first appearance against them was on the road in Game 16, where they shutout Airdrie 3-0. Team X;s CEO admits that as Team X keeps playing that the teams were all after them since the {[[Red Nukes] proved they could be beat. Despite gaining more losses, including two in overtime, Team X stayed strong, and set a new record for the fastest to 20, 30, 40, and 50 wins, where they earned them in 20, 32, 45, and 57 games respectively. These are only a handful of the records that Team X holds this year. As of now, they are currently the highest ranked team in terms of points this season, and will win the Kingship Award at the end of the season. Team X is partaking in the new fifth line rule, and is picking players from the lower leagues to generate offense. They have decided to make some changes and will be announced during the playoff season. 'Playoffs' Team X eliminated the Crimson Ninjas from the playoffs in the first round, winning the series 4-0 and outscoring Crimson 12-2. In the second round, Team X faced the Black Blades, defeating them in five games. However, Black handed Team X their first home loss of the season losing 3-2 in OT from a goal by Matthias Falleaf. In the third round, Team X faced Airdrie High Angels who became their hardest obstacle, taking them to seven games. Game 7 of the series was revered as the best game of the playoffs, where Team X won 5-3 over Airdrie. The game involved a bout between Nick Phillips and Kevin Johnson, where Kevin challenged Nick to a fight, which resulted in his loss. After being down 2-0, 3-2, Nick Phillips tied the game, and then scored the game winning goal on a breakway against Eamon Thael. Afterwards, Airdrie pulled Thael, where Nik Incideus nearly scored on Michael Torio. After Chad Mackenzie and Brenden Donaghy passed the puck to Nick, Nick deeked Kevin Johnson and fired down to the empty net, resulting in a 5-3 win. The series was compared to the 2004-2005 final against the Ultimate Royals. Team X managed to face the Red Nukes, who became a challenge with players such as Ben Beccam and Taoshi Kobasigawa. The games were close, all within wins by a single goal. Team X lost twice, but managed to secure three straight wins to put Red at elimination at one point, being 3-1. Red won Game 5, but lost in Game 6 in double OT from a goal from Nick Phillips. Nick slap shot a puck off Ben Beccam's leg that redirected into the net of Taoshi Kobasigawa under his left arm. Team X then became the 2014-2015 SHL Cup champions, and won their fourth cup. '2015-2016 Season' As of the new fifth line rule, Team X is adding five new players to their lineup, and have callups still on board if needed. Team X has signed five new players and have moved three players to the fifth line. Igius Gonzalez, Travis Turnburg, and Richard Mayer will fill the C, LW, RW of the fifth line, and will be joined by two undrafted players, Kris Capelli, who was a former pick for the Ultimate Royals, and Volker Janns. Both of these players will be defense. To fill the C, RW, and LW of the fourth line, Team X has hired Bob Richard for LW, Eddie Puckett for RW, and former Airdrie prospect David Eir for C. Before the actual season, Team X traded Nate Myers and Damien Norton, as well as a 2016-2017 draft consideration to the Ultimate Royals for draft picks Luc Zukov and Andy Parker. They also traded Richard Mayer to the Crimson Ninjas for Will Bettz. Nick Phillips led the team in goals (60), points (111) and GWG (13), winning the Iron Puck Trophy for the second consecutive year, and finished second in overall points. Brenden Donaghy led the team in assists (57) and was tied with Chad Mackenzie for GWA (9). The team suffered multiple injuries, despite finishing with a 45-19-6 record for 96 points, and being first in their division. Only three players played a full 70-game season; Nick Phillips, Travis Turnburg, and Andy Parker. Buck Kampra finished the season as the winner of the Goliath Ironwall Trophy, facing 1,270 shots and stopping 1,202, with a 94.6% SV% and 10 shutouts. Team X faced 2,541 shots in total, the most in the entire league. '2016-2017 Season' Team X acquired Patrick Wright, a draft pick from the Kimberly Knights, in exchange for Ricky Klassen. Edward Victor, Frazer Acterpoff, and Brent Cassidy were unsigned, becoming free agents, being signed by the New Arbour Rockets, New Harbour Blues, and Orange Orators respectively. Seth Mackenzie and Daniel Olsen through their self-regulation chose to become upcoming players; Gustav Magerkoff and Thomas Bronec took their place on the first line. Volker Janns, David Eir, Kris Capelli, Bob Richard, and Eddie Puckett were kept as permanent players, their contract remaining for one more year. Buck Kampra's contract was renewed until the 2020-2021 Season. Team X selected Ethan Chase in the 2016 SHL Draft, who will "likely play next year" but now plays for the Exterminators. In the first round, Team X played Team Daiku, defeating them in a four-game sweep, recording two shutouts in the stretch. Team X scored 9 goals in the series compared to TD's 3. In the second round, Team X faced off against the Scarlet Saviors. Despite some late-game heroics, including shutting them out once, Team X lost to the Saviors 4-3 in a best of seven. Jean Theirron cited that they were outplayed by a "better two-way team". Gustav Magerkoff remarked "it was disappointing, considering it's the big man Jean's final year, we wanted to get him one more ring." Team X scored 25 goals, and faced 15 against; it was the first time they have lost in the Second Round in the playoffs. Team X has later signed Garrett Theodore as their new coach, who had been the assistant coach of the team for the last three seasons, and is described by Jean Theirron as "a better replacement". '2017-2018 Season' Team X traded Giovanni Lettier and Ron Dowl to the Cochrane Wildcats in exchange for Bryce Ritchie and future draft pick considerations. They selected Alex Krieger in the 2017 SHL Draft, who made his first appearance in the first game of the season and is signed to a three-year entry level deal. Gustav Magerkoff, Thomas Bronec, and Robert Thorman revealed before the preseason that the 2020-2021 Season will collectively be their last season. Seasons Team X have played since 2003-2004. Players This is the current roster. For a list of ALL players who have played for '''Team X', see Team X Players. The following numbers have been retired, 33 and 66.'' '2016-2017 Season' This is the current roster for . - An asterisk denotes rookie season begins in 2016-2017 Leaders *Nick Phillips - Leads in goals, assists, points, +/- *Chad Mackenzie *Brenden Donaghy Draft Picks Team X has had several draft picks over the years. Trivia